Performance and use

As you’d expect from Sony, the ZS-RS70BTB is sturdily built and feels tough and durable. It’s relatively light at 3.3kg, so you can carry it around without much difficulty.

The boombox can be plugged into the mains or used with 6 C-size batteries, which can be rechargeables.

The sound quality is very good for a radio at this price point, and it can be turned up loud without distorting. It has two 2.3W speakers giving a total of 4.6W of power, which is enough for small parties, group dance classes and so on.

The Sony ZS-RS70BTB has a USB port that will let you play MP3s from a USB stick or an MP3 player, and can also be used for recording audio from a CD or the radio. The USB port can’t be used for charging a phone or other device. If you’re interested in other radios with a USB port, see this article.

Pros

Very good sound quality with enough bass

Enough volume for using at parties and for exercise or dance classes

Reasonably light (3.3kg) and easy to carry

Easy to use

Good value for money

Durable and well constructed

Cons

No remote control

LED display isn’t backlit so it’s hard to read unless there’s a lot of light

Buttons are small

Verdict

The Sony ZS-RS70BTB is a solid portable radio CD player that offers great performance for the price. It has an impressive list of features, and offers plenty of volume and clear sound with a good amount of bass.

It could be improved if Sony added a remote control, and it can be hard to use in the dark due to the lack of a backlit display and the small size of the buttons. On the whole though, the Sony ZS-RS70BTB is one of the best radio CD players with a DAB radio and Bluetooth.

Similar radio CD players

One alternative that is likely to be cheaper than the Sony ZS-RS70BTB is the Roberts Zoombox2. It has most of the same features as the Sony boombox, though it doesn’t have Bluetooth. It’s also smaller and less powerful, with two 1W speakers rather than two 2.3W speakers.

If you want something even cheaper and don’t need many features, you should consider the Roberts CD9959 Swallow. It only has an AM/FM radio rather than DAB, and doesn’t have Bluetooth or USB.

A more high-end alternative is the JVC RV-NB100B BoomBlaster, which has an impressive list of features including Bluetooth, DAB radio, a Lightning dock and even guitar and microphone inputs.